by Lucinda John
“Hello?” a sweet child-like voice answered through the phone.
“Hello?” she answered the phone again, when I didn’t respond.
“Leah, baby, who is it?” an older woman asked.
“Hello?” she chimed into the phone after taking it from the child.
“Hello, may I please speak with Carol?” I said, finally finding my voice.
“Speaking. May I ask whose calling?”
“Mm… Uhh… This is Aimee Stinger, Lucas’ wife. I wanted to confirm that he has a child with you,” I stammered.
“Wife?” she asked in pure disbelief.
“I didn’t think anyone would be crazy enough to marry that fool,” she went on to say. “Typical Lucas to disregard his past,” she chuckled.
“Ahem,” I cleared my throat.
“Oh, Mm… Aimee, right? Well, yes, Lucas and I have a five-year-old daughter that he has been shorting out of money. I take it you found out because of the papers I had my husband file against him. Anywho, if I were you, I wouldn’t stay in that marriage. If he hasn’t shown you by now, he has a little problem with keeping his hands to himself. Lucas is fucked up in the head and is not worthy of having someone love him. Aimee, I’m not sure the purpose of your call, but I am a sole believer of everything happening for a reason. The purpose of you calling is for me to tell you to save yourself, love,” she said before disconnecting the call.
I sat back in Lucas’ office chair, at a loss for words. Although Carol was long gone, I could still hear her words echoing in my head. Save yourself is all that kept replaying in my head.
“God, please give me a sign. If it’s meant for me to leave, please give me a way out,” I prayed, as fresh tears stained the contents of the folder.
“What the fuck are you doing in my office?” Lucas said, standing by the door.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your daughter?” I found the courage to say.
“You were snooping through my shit?” he asked, walking over to me.
My heart rate began to elevate, as fear took ahold of my body. Bracing myself, I closed my eyes and waited for the smack that I knew was going to come any second know. When it didn’t come, I opened my eyes, only to get punched in the face.
“Oooooooowh!” I cried, placing both of my hands over my eyes.
“You ain’t never gonna learn, huh bitch?” he said, violently pushing me off the chair.
WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
Lucas punched me three times in my face, causing my blood to splatter against the wall.
“Stop!” I cried, trying my best to crawl away.
WHAP!
He kicked me hard in my side, causing me to roll over.
“Lucas, I’m pregnant,” I cried as he began dragging me out of his office.
He didn’t respond, he just continued dragging my body through the house until we reached the hallway bathroom. I could see traces of my blood make a trail behind me as he sat me up against the wall.
“I’m going to teach you a fucking lesson!” he yelled, lifting the hood off of the toilet.
Grabbing me by my hair, he stuffed my head in the toilet and held it there. He then lifted me up and punched me in my jaw before stuffing my head back in the toilet bowl again.
“Since you want to talk to me crazy, I’ma clean your shitty ass mouth,” he said, slamming my head in the toilet again.
This time, my head hit against the inside of the toilet, hard, causing a gush of blood to mix in with the toilet water. Despite my blood filling the toilet bowl, he continued to plunge my head in the water. I could feel myself getting lightheaded as he continued to teach me his lesson by cleaning my filthy mouth in the toilet bowl water.
“Look what you made me do, you stupid bitch. You better pray my child is still alive,” he screamed, crashing his Armani red bottom dress shoes hard on my thighs.
“Ahhhhh,” I cried out in pain.
There was no energy left in my body. He continued to kick me in the leg, causing a bone to crack. I began to drift in and out of consciousness. Tears slipped freely through my eyes as I tried to make sense of the situation I was in. This was not love. Love is supposed to be beautiful; love is not supposed to hurt.
I could see Lucas’ lips moving, but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. Every time he would move his bloody fist against my body, I would feel myself slowly slip further and further away. I wasn’t ready to die yet; I had a baby to live for. My sweet, sweet baby. If we both made it out of this alive, I would promise to never allow anyone to harm him or her. I would be a real mother, something the lady that gave birth to me couldn’t be. The last blow Lucas sent me caused my head to rock to the side, then the darkness came out of nowhere and engulfed me.
Chapter 16
Shanice
Although Aimee and I weren’t on talking terms, I cared deeply for her. I wanted to help her so badly, but she was too deep in love to accept the truth. I hated the way I talked to her the day of the picnic, but I couldn’t understand why she would stay in such a dangerous situation. She was right; you don’t know what you would do unless you were actually in that predicament.
As I strolled through the web page I was staring at, I began to print off various numbers and hotlines that would help Aimee. I even found a great lawyer that was a master in cases like Aimee’s. He lived all the way in Sacramento, but I was willing to pay any necessary fees in order to provide Aimee with a way out.
What she and Lucas had wasn’t love. That made me question what Jordan and I were building. Although he’d never put his hands on me, he was cut from the same cloth as Lucas, so I couldn’t help but wonder when the change was going to come. I had already gotten my gun license and a registered pistol to prepare me for the day Jordan ever decided to smell his balls and lay a paw on me.
The front door opened and closed, signaling Jordan’s arrival. When he walked in the house, that smile wasn’t on his handsome face like it always was when he came home. In fact, he had stress written all over his face, letting me know something was terribly wrong.
“Shanice, we have to talk,” those words alone had me hyperventilating.
“Is she ok?” I asked, fearing Lucas took Aimee away from me.
When he shook his head no, I fell to the floor crying. I cried because I wasn’t there for my best friend like I should have been. I cried because I didn’t pick up on the signs. Aimee would disappear for weeks, then return back on the scene as if nothing happened. I should have probed more into her life. I should have popped up on her during one of her hibernations. There was a lot I could have done for my friend, and now I’m feeling stupid that my last words to her weren’t ‘I love you’.
“Are you next? Are you going to start putting your fucking hands on me too?” I asked, spazzing out on Jordan.
My fists were small, but by the pain written on his face, I could tell my punches were affecting him. I had so much built up hurt and anger, that I took it all out on Jordan. With every blow to Jordan’s face, I imagined it was Lucas, causing me to punch him harder than I did the last time.
“Stop before you stress my baby out,” Jordan finally said, pinning me down. “To answer your question, no, I will never put my hands on you, that’s not my style. After my ex Gina cheated on me, my dad encouraged me to smack her around to get her back in line. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I forgave her. She cheated on me again, this time leaving me, and I was hurt, but I let it go. My father called me dumb for not beating her, but I knew better. I used to be there when my father beat my mother. Although Lucas would shrug it off, I would be the one to help her clean up her bloody nose, or help her scrub the blood stains off the walls before my father returned home. I’m nothing like my father and brother, nor do I wish to be. Before I would put my hand on any woman, I would just let her go,” he assured me, rocking me back and forth as I cried.
“Is she dead?” I asked, holding my breath.
“No, but she’s in critical condition.”
“What about the baby?”
“The hospital didn’t provide any further information. I think we should go down there to see her. Are you up for it?” Jordan asked.
“Of course. Let me get dressed.”
While I pulled a pair of yoga pants over the boy shorts I was wearing, all I could do was pray that Aimee and the baby pulled through this. I made a promise to myself that if I got a second chance, I was going to be there for Aimee every step of the way. I just prayed that this was the eye opener she needed to get out of her terrible situation.
When Jordan and I arrived to the hospital, we spotted Aimee’s mother and brother, but Lucas was nowhere in sight. Thank God, because I would have shot his ass in this hospital filled with people if he was there. As I took a seat next to Aimee’s mother, I couldn’t help but wonder why her eyes weren’t filled with tears. Everyone else looked distraught, but she just wore a blank expression on her face. Writing it off as her trying to be strong for Ashton, I decided to not address the issue.
“The family of Aimee Stinger?” the doctor said, holding a clipboard.
“Here,” I said, running up to help. “How is she? Is the baby ok?” I questioned.
“I’m Debra, her mother,” she spoke, cutting her eyes at me.
I wanted to question her attitude, but the doctor started speaking, making me bite my tongue.
“She’s doing fine, just a bit banged up, but she is fine. She suffered a mild concussion, and we had to put her leg back in place due to it being dislocated. Aimee and the baby are very lucky to suffer such a terrible assault to be walking away with minor injuries,” the doctor said, allowing me to relax and breathe.
“Can we go see her?” I asked.
“She’s a bit out of it, but yes, you can. Two at a time, please.”
As bad as I wanted to rush in that room and hug my best friend, I decided to allow Ashton and Debra go first.
“Baby, I need to make a private phone call,” I said, walking outside.
Jordan walked outside with me, but stood by the door, giving me my privacy. Dialing the lawyer’s number, I tapped my feet until he finally answered the phone. We spoke about Aimee’s situation for ten minutes, going over the events that happed. When I mentioned that the suspect was Lucas Stinger, the lawyer seemed to cheer up and immediately decided to take my case. With a smile on my face, I was glad I could do something to help Aimee. I just prayed she decided to press charges against the bastard.
Chapter 17
Aimee
When I woke up, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I knew I was in the hospital, I’d been here for the past three days, but the face I saw when I opened my eyes shocked me. Closing my eyes again, I decided to re-open them, just to confirm to myself that my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Again, I looked into the pretty face of Carol Harris. The unknown man that was in the pictures, stood next to her.
“Hey, Aimee. It’s me, Carol,” she said, stroking my hair.
“Hey,” I answered softly.
“This is my husband Roger Harris. Your lawyer.”
“My lawyer?” I asked shocked.
“Yes, your lawyer. Your best friend, Shanice, hired me and I want to help you. I can do that, only if you agree to press charges on your husband,” Roger said.
“I can’t do that,” I replied.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because…” I replied, staring off in space.
The day of the beating replayed in my head. I wanted to walk away from him, I really did, but I didn’t want him coming back to kill me or my baby.
“Baby, take a walk. Let me have a word with Aimee,” Carol said.
“Ok,” Roger replied, placing a kiss on her lips.
I could feel the love radiating off of his body. Seeing the way he smiled down at his wife, I immediately got jealous. Once upon a time, Lucas used to love and look at me the same way. I wasn’t sure where everything took a turn for the worst. I often found myself lying in this hospital bed, still trying to figure out what went terribly wrong between us.
“When your best friend called my husband, he was excited to take your case. Once upon a time, he was the one who helped me escape Lucas and his abusive ways. Just like you, I was a stripper from Rol-Lexx who was saved by Lucas. I’m not too sure what your situation was, but for me, my parents were both killed in a terrible car crash, leaving me in the arms of the system. When I turned eighteen, I left the group home and started dancing. When I met Lucas, he swept me off my feet. Life for me was perfect for once, and I was happy. One day I forgot to use pumpkin creamer in his coffee, and he flipped the fuck out, backhanding me. He apologized and bought me some yellow roses, and all was forgiven. Months went by and he didn’t hit me again, until he thought I was flirting with a guy at the gas station, then the beatings began to become frequent. One day Roger, who was Lucas’ company’s attorney, came by to pick up some paperwork. He noticed my faint scars and immediately called out what was going on. At first, it was hard to trust Roger, but once I finally did, we devised a plan for me to get away from him. The only thing that flawed our plan was me finding out I was pregnant,” she took a breath, wiping her tears before continuing.
“All I wanted was for my baby to grow up in the two-parent home that I dreamed of having. Lucas promised that he would keep his hands to himself and it stayed that way, until after I gave birth. Once the baby was born, the abuse picked right back up. He would beat me if I took too long to make her bottle, or if I didn’t change her fast enough. One day I almost died from one of his beatings. If it weren’t for Roger coming by and breaking it up, I would have. That’s when I realized I didn’t want my daughter going through this shit. One day, he went on a business trip, on the second day, I packed all of our things, fifty grand of his money and we fled to Roger’s hometown. Roger wasn’t experienced in family cases, but he took mine and helped me get rid of Lucas.” By now, she was really crying.
“The day I escaped was the best day of my life. Roger was there with me every step of the way, earning my heart. Now my skin is flawless and I am happy because I overcame my abuse. Please, let my husband help you. One out of three women in an abusive relationship die at the hands of their attacker. Be one of the women who survives and overcomes their abuse.”
The room was very emotional as we both cried our own sets of tears. I wanted so badly to get away from Lucas for the sake of my child. If I was having a daughter, I didn’t want her to think it was ok for a man to beat her. At that very moment, I decided to accept the help from Roger and put Lucas behind bars, where he deserved to be.
“I want to press charges,” I cried.
“It’s going to be ok,” Carol assured me, wrapping her hands around my body. She held me tight, rocking me back and forth. As much as it hurt, this was something that had to be done.
Chapter 18
Lucas
(Three weeks later)
When I beat Aimee’s dumb ass to the point that she needed medical attention, I called my brother to take care of the situation for me, while I went out of town on a business trip. What I didn’t expect was to come home to some police officers, slapping handcuffs around my wrists. I thought by now Aimee was a trained enough bitch to where I would have been coming home to a nice home-cooked meal, but I was wrong.
As the guard led me to the courtroom, it felt like déjà vu. The orange jumpsuit against my skin sickened me. Prison was a place for sick child molesters, murderers, or motherfuckers that didn’t pay their taxes. Not for a man who simply needed to discipline his wife.
Today was my bail hearing and I was certain that I was getting released. I had no doubt about it. I knew for a fact that once I got out of these handcuffs and clothes, there was going to be hell to pay. I had plans on locking Aimee’s hard-headed ass in a closet for three days straight, just to let her know I wasn’t the one to fuck with.
I sat back with thoughts of all the crazy shit I was going to do to Aimee, when Roger walked into th
e courtroom. I almost pissed on myself when I looked back and saw Carol and Aimee sitting next to each other like they were the best of friends. I chewed the insides of my jaws, fighting the urge to jump over the table and fuck both of those bird-brained bitches up.
I looked back at Aimee again, and this time our gazes met. I could see that she still held that fear of me in her eyes. Even in a courtroom filled with people and armed guards, she was still scared, and I loved it. The power I had over Aimee was so great that I knew for a fact once I was able to get in contact with her, all of these absurd charges were going to get dropped.
“All rise… this court is now in session. The honorable Judge Free presiding,” the bailiff spoke.
“Please be seated,” Judge Free said.
I was now seeing red when I noticed that this wasn’t the judge that my father pulled strings to have try my case. My father had a headstrong buddy that had the same beliefs as him. He was also a judge who was supposed to dismiss this pathetic case against me. Judge Free was a woman. Having a woman try a domestic violence case was a recipe for disaster.
“What happened to Judge Lance?” I whispered in my lawyer’s ear.
“That’s the same thing I’m wondering. Your father assured me that he was going to be the judge on this case,” my lawyer whispered back.
“Fix this!” I whispered firmly.
“Your Honor, I was well aware that Judge Lance was supposed to be the judge on this case,” my lawyer spoke.
“He was, but there were some last minute changes,” she replied.
“Changes such as?” he asked.
“Well, a tip was sent in that Judge Lance is great buddies with your client and his father. That is considered a conflict of interest, forcing him to recuse himself. Any further questions?” she sassed.